Bridging the Past and Future: Kingston Historical Society

Kingston is a small community with a rich history. It has always been known for its maritime roots, starting with the early days of the Mosquito Fleet and settlers known for their love of clams, continuing to the port district that recently celebrated 100 years of car ferry service to Edmonds. Downtown Kingston was first developed in the 1890s and continues to offer wonderful restaurants and small, locally-owned shops. 

Ed Goodwin, one of our Windermere Poulsbo Brokers, is the current president of the Kingston Historical Society (KHS). We sat down with him to discuss all things KHS and learn how locals can become more involved. 

Kingston Historical Society in the Community

Ed has been involved with the Kingston Historical Society for about nine years. “Soon after joining Windermere in early 2017, I attended the Discover Kingston event at the Village Green,” said Ed. “I met De Mackinnon and Kathy Sole from KHS. I had an interest in history, wanted to know more about the area, and was looking to get involved in the community. That led me to attend a meeting and subsequently join the group.”

The Society’s mission is “To record, preserve, interpret, and display the history of Kingston, Washington.” History tells a story of the past and through it we can learn about the people and the decisions they made that shaped the world we live in today, making informed decisions to better our world.

KHS has been active in sharing its stories with the community through displays at the Village Green. Additionally, KHS participates in local events and gets local youth involved.  In 2024, The Kingston Historical Society was  recognized as an anchor organization of the “Maritime Washington National Heritage Area,” which is working on preserving the history and stories of our vast shoreline marine areas in Washington state. Soon, you will be able to see a portion of the Rum Runner display at the The Kingston Chamber of Commerce Office & Visitor Center. And, the Kingston Historical Society will be at the Kingston Pirate Festival on June 13th at Mike Wallace Park from 10:00 AM until dusk. This annual event is great for all ages. There will be music, food, vendors, and lots of pirates. 

Upcoming Multigenerational Project

KHS also has an exciting project in the works with Kingston High School. Ed Goodwin shared, “We just met with Kingston High School and have initiated a new project with the AP History Class. They will be researching the history of the former “Nike” missile site and underground silos. They are located on the high school’s property in Kingston as well as the control center that was located up on Ohio Avenue. (It’s now the Northwest Laborers Training Center in Kingston.) The students will do the research and ultimately create wording for memorial markers that will be installed at those locations. This type of collaboration is extremely important to [KHS] as it encourages both the younger and the not quite so young citizens of our community to work together on memorializing our local history.”

This collaborative project was made possible in part by a grant from the Kingston Rotary Club. It provided funds for the physical signage. The bases for these memorial plaques will be provided by the Northwest Laborers Training Center.

Get Involved

Kingston Historical Society is run by a relatively small group of enthusiastic volunteers. The group relies on community support in the form of memberships, monetary donations and donated historical memorabilia. Additionally, it depends on fundraising events, grants, and revenue from book sales. 

In 2019, the group published Images of America, Kingston through Arcadia Publishing. Ed was part of the book committee on this project. He says, “It was an interesting experience for sure, something that I never thought I’d be involved with. But you never know what’s going to happen when you say yes.” You can find copies of the book at Saltwater Bookshop.

The group meets on the 3rd Monday of the month at the Village Green in Kingston from 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM. All are welcome. Recently, there has been an uptick in meeting attendance from locals who are passionate about the area’s history. KHS is currently looking to fill two roles: secretary, who handles meeting minutes and e-mail notifications and agendas, and someone to help with their website and social media.

If you have any questions about the Kingston Historical Society, please visit their website at kingstonhistory.org or contact them via email at kingstonwahistory@gmail.com